The Houstonian creates holiday treat for all to enjoy

THE HOUSTONIANA holiday treat that you don't eat

FLORI MEEKS, CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

Published 6:30 am, Monday, December 14, 2009

Photo: Dave Rossman, For The Chronicle

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GINGERBREAD WONDER: Teresa Rojas from Spain takes a look at the gingerbread village in the lobby at the Houstonian Hotel on Dec. 3. The village always makes an appearance during the holiday season for guests and visitors to see. less

GINGERBREAD WONDER: Teresa Rojas from Spain takes a look at the gingerbread village in the lobby at the Houstonian Hotel on Dec. 3. The village always makes an appearance during the holiday season for guests ... more

Photo: Dave Rossman, For The Chronicle

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Mantle material: Just in time for the holidays, the gingerbread village sits on the oversized mantle at the Houstonian Hotel. It took the hotel's engineering team approximately 500 hours to build the village.

Mantle material: Just in time for the holidays, the gingerbread village sits on the oversized mantle at the Houstonian Hotel. It took the hotel's engineering team approximately 500 hours to build the village.

Photo: Dave Rossman, For The Chronicle

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COLORFUL: More than 100 pounds of gingerbread was needed to build the village.

COLORFUL: More than 100 pounds of gingerbread was needed to build the village.

Photo: Dave Rossman, For The Chronicle

The Houstonian creates holiday treat for all to enjoy

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Children may have visions of sugarplums during the holiday season; Catherine Rodriguez is thinking gingerbread.

The Houstonian Hotel's pastry chef, her staff of eight and five representatives from the hotel's engineering department expect to spend 500 total hours creating this year's holiday gingerbread village display for the hotel's great room.

“I think this is going to be our best year yet,” said Rodriguez, who is creating a village for the fourth time. “The first year, I didn't know what to expect.”

The display, located in the lobby of The Houstonian, 111 North Post Oak Lane, is currently up for viewing until New Year's Day.

Rodriguez started designing the project last May. Inspired by a book about the Black Forest region of Germany, the display will feature nine houses, about four feet high, arranged on mountains around the great-room fireplace. A tunnel will allow a nonstop model train to continuously wind through the town from the fireplace mantle.

Also planned are station doors that open a working station clock and a gondola to ascend a mountain.

Creating the village is a painstaking process, Rodriguez said. Staff members must maintain cool temperatures in the great room to prevent the candy from melting.

They may find themselves contending with broken sugar windows or chipped gingerbread walls. “It's just a huge project,” Rodriguez said. “It's kind of nerve-wracking to make sure it all goes up right.”

But the project has its rewards, she said. “After all of our hard work and stress, when it's all up and the lights are up, it's very satisfying. People from all over the city come to see it. It is something to be proud of.”

The gingerbread village tradition was started by Jim Mills, who spent seven years as the executive chef of The Houstonian before becoming its general manager seven years ago.

In 1995, Mills made some small gingerbread houses and displayed them throughout the hotel, including the lobby.

One year later, he expanded upon that idea by creating a pillar, 8 feet across and 15 to 18 feet high. On it were very large gingerbread cookies, depicting images of buildings. “That was the first time we built a big display,” Mills said.

For the 1997 holiday season, Mills created gingerbread castles for the lobby with a train running through the display. In 1998, the village moved to the great room.

“I really went crazy that year with my team,” Mills said. “Their gingerbread buildings and train took up a quarter of the room.”

There is a secret element to the gingerbread creations, Mills said. “Gingerbread isn't strong enough to be a structural element. Everything you see is edible, but underneath is support.”

Originally, Mills built substructures in his garage with foam board and duct tape. Today, the hotel engineering team builds wooden support structures.

After Mills' massive display, the Houstonian's staff decided to continue creating villages with trains — the addition had been a hit — but the train would be kept on the fireplace mantel to preserve space.

And a new element of the tradition was established: Gingerbread Nights at The Houstonian. During this period, the hotel brings in local choirs, hand bell groups, instrumentalists and soloists to perform in the great room.

Mills has always enjoyed watching guests react to the gingerbread village displays in the great room.